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Free SYMPOSIUM: Sports Technology and Innovation (Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation)

PROGRAM: Innovative Lives with Gary Brantley (SVP and CIO, National Football League)

SYMPOSIUM: Sports Technology and Innovation

21-22 October 2024

Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Washington, DC USA

 

FREE Registration (Innovative Lives with Gary Brantley): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovative-lives-gary-brantley-tickets-1013998104627

FREE Registration (Symposium): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sports-technology-and-innovation-new-perspectives-tickets-969323932977

 

Meet the National Football League’s Chief Information Officer Gary Brantley and join the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for a FREE two-day symposium in Washington, DC that explores the intersection of invention, technology, and sports!

 

MONDAY OCT 21, 2024

SESSION 1: WHO CHANGES THE GAME? EMBRACING AND RESISTING INNOVATION

Moderator: Eric S. Hintz, Lemelson Center, Smithsonian Institution

Speakers:

Ryan Murtha (Minnesota State Univ):

“From Resistance to Acceptance: Tracking Changes in How We Respond to Sporting Innovation”

Amy Sue Bix (Iowa State University):

“Muggle Sports Innovation: Adapting Snitches, Bludgers, and Other Quidditch Technologies for Real-Life Play”

John A. Alic, (retired, Office of Technology Assessment, US Congress):

“Grassroots Innovation: Wrenching and Racing after World War II”

 

SESSION 2: INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGIES OF THE ATHLETIC BODY

Moderator: Rachel S. Gross (Univ. of Colorado Denver)

Speakers:

Natalie Kupperman (Univ. of Virginia)

“Femtech in the Post-Roe Era: Implications for Women Athletes’ Health Monitoring”

Sarah Barnes (Canadian Museum of History)

“Investigating the New Frontier of Human Performance: Sleep Inventions and Innovations in Sport”

Jaime Schultz (Pennsylvania State University)

“Innovating Gymnastic Bodies: An Ode to Simone Biles”

 

Evening Event: Innovative Lives with Gary Brantley (SVP and CIO, National Football League). 

In conversation with Dan Kaufman, managing director for sports technology at Sports Business Journal.

 

TUESDAY OCT 22, 2024

SESSION 3: SITES OF SPORTS INNOVATION

Moderator: Tolga Ozyurtcu (University of Texas at Austin)

Speakers:

Jesse Ritner (University of Texas at Austin)

“Avalanche!: Reimagining Skier Snow Relationships”

Sherri Sheu (Science History Institute)

“The Co-Development of Synthetic Turf and Natural Grass”

Scott Kushner (Univ. of Rhode Island)

“Enclosing Sport: Mass Athletic Spectacle and the Pressure to Perform”

 

SESSION 4: REINVENTING BASEBALL: A TRADITION OF INNOVATION

Moderator: Matt Bowers (University of Texas at Austin)

Speakers:

Natalie L. Smith (East Tennessee State Univ.) and Christopher Barnhill (Belmont Univ.)

“Understanding How a Sport Organization Becomes Innovative: An Organizational Culture Analysis of the Savannah Bananas”

Evan D. Brown (Columbia University)

“Scientific Baseball: Experimenting with Labor”

Luke L. Mao (University of New Mexico)

“Technology, Authenticity, and Fans’ Sentiment: A Case Study of the Automated Ball-Strike System”

 

Accessibility: The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. Accommodations are available upon request; please email [email protected].

 

Recordings? Yes – shortly after the events, captioned recordings will be posted to the Lemelson Center YouTube channel.

 

Media inquiries: Laura Havel, Public Affairs Specialist, Lemelson Center, [email protected]